Digest

Bell : Family Demands Evidence

Attorneys for a family that claims it was brutalized by Bell-Cudahy police officers have demanded copies of evidence and statements that the department may have collected in the last two weeks of its investigation into the May 22 incident.

Three women and one man have been charged with various misdemeanors in connection with a brawl in Bell between members of the family and police officers who were answering an early-evening complaint about a loud stereo.

But attorneys for the Carrillo family claim that the police officers were guilty of using excessive force and profanity. They charge that the three women were struck with batons, pushed into walls and dragged along the driveway of the family's Fishburn Avenue residence.

At a pretrial hearing Monday in Huntington Park Municipal Court, attorney Oscar Gutierrez demanded copies of photographs and witnesses' statements that police investigators may have collected in their investigation.

"So far, they've given us zilch" to prepare a defense and possibly file a civil suit, Gutierrez said after the hearing.

Another hearing is scheduled next week, at which the prosecution is expected to turn over any documents requested by the defense, Gutierrez said.